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Technical & Practical

Technology Showcase: Carbon Capture and Storage

  Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is an area of technology that has received national and international attention. CCS is seen by some as a way to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions into the atmosphere and thereby decrease the threat…

An Integrated Approach to Industrial Security

To many, the concept of a "smart plant" involves integrating critical process subsystems and instrumentation with the goal of streamlining operations, increasing production and, simply put, making more money. But looking at the bigger picture, the true goal of having…

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Warming Up to Accurate Temperature Measurement

Accurate temperature measurement is not difficult. It does, however, require you to think about accuracy from specification and selection, all the way up to installation and operation of your temperature-measurement sensor. There are opportunities to improve accuracy during each of…

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Engineering Practice: Designing Steam Stripping Columns for Wastewater

  FIGURE 1. In a typical system for wastewater treatment, the liquid feed is introduced at the top of the column and steam is introduced at the bottom In recent years, steam strippers have become integral parts of industrial plant…

Facts at Your Fingertips: Acid Storage

Most common acids can be stored in horizontal or vertical ASME-type tanks, as shown in the figures to the right, or vertical API-type tanks. Horizontal, carbon-steel ASME-type tanks of 10,000 — 40,000 gal capacity should have a plate thickness of…

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Environmentally Friendly Dry Vacuum Pumps Save Energy with the Lowest Cost of Ownership in Chemical and Biofuel Processes

Demands in the chemical processing industry to reduce energy consumption and carbon footprint are higher than ever before.  Correct sizing and selection of vacuum systems can contribute significantly to optimizing throughput and efficiency, thus reducing energy consumption, capital and running…

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Facts at your Fingertips: Random Tower Packing

Packed Columns [1] A packed column is a vertical, cylindrical pressure vessel containing one or more sections of a packing material over whose surface the liquid flows downward by gravity, as a film or as droplets, between packing elements. Vapor…

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Cover Story: Move Difficult-to-Handle Bulk Materials with Flexible Screw Conveyors

Convey tough bulk materials that tend to pack, cake, smear, break apart or fluidize, and prevent separation of blended products Flexible screw conveyors are suitable for use with most bulk materials, from sub-micron powders to large pellets, both free-flowing and…

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Feature Report: The Number One Problem in a Steam System: Water Hammer

  Water hammer — a high-pressure surge or wave created by the kinetic energy of the moving liquid — is not only a system issue, but primarily a safety concern. Understanding the nature and severity of water hammer in a…

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Engineering Practice: Fired-Heater Burner Performance

  Industrial furnaces, or direct-fired heaters, are only as good as the burners that supply them with thermal energy for heat transfer and endothermic chemical reactions. This article presents equations that permit calculation of such important burner-operating characteristics as flame…